Safe
by NERC
Summary: Neville tries to figure out how to keep the students safe, first as a peer and later as their teacher.


**AN: Written for round 7. Write about someone in charge. **

**I own nothing.**

* * *

Student – How?

Neville paced back and forth. He didn't really know what he was doing.

He had never really been brave.

He had certainly never been a leader.

Now though, there wasn't much of a choice. Dozens of younger students and many of his peers were looking to him for guidance.

Neville wasn't even entirely sure how he'd been put in charge.

"What's our plan Nev?" Seamus asked.

Neville thought carefully before answering his dorm mate, "We'll need to re-locate soon. It won't be safe to stay in the dorms if we want to keep doing what we are."

"If we want to keep annoying them ya mean?"

"Exactly."

"Where are we gonna go Nev? It's not like we can just leave the school."

"We'll have to find somewhere on the school grounds. Don't worry about it Seamus. I'll figure Something out."

"I know ya will Nev. But can we do it in time?"

Neville sighed and look at his friend, "we'll have to."

Neville wasn't sure how he ended up in charge.

But, he decided, if everyone was going to be looking to him, he would need to take charge, and keep the students safe.

* * *

Student – Why?

Why had they decided he was a good leader?

Why not Ginny?

Or Seamus?

Or anybody that wasn't him?

Neville looked at the students sleeping in the room of requirement, each and every one of them were trusting him to keep them safe.

Why was it always him?

Neville knew he wasn't the smartest or the bravest or the best at defence. What he didn't know is why, despite of all of that, he was the one trusted to keep everyone safe.

He was startled from his thoughts as an explosion erupted in the hallway. Neville knew that neither the

Carrows' nor Snape would be able to get into or damage the room – but the sounds of their efforts could still be heard through the walls.

The sudden loud noise woke many of the students up abruptly. The younger years started panicking and the older students looked as if they didn't quite know if there was a threat to fight or if they could go back to sleep.

Another loud bang echoed through the room and everyone started looking around, terrified that they would be found.

Neville took a deep breath, it wasn't the first time the Death Eaters had tried this and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

A third explosion set all the younger years into a frenzy.

"They're going to find us!"

"We need to fight!"

"We're going to die!"

Neville stood sharply and they all looked at him.

"Mr. Neville, why are they doing this?"

Neville looked at the first year and wondered the same thing.

He looked again at all the faces staring up at him.

"Because they think they're right." He said, "But, they are not going to find us. Unless we open out door right now and try to fight them they will not find us. And we not going to die. We're going to stay here and watch after each other and no one will get hurt. Okay?"

There was hesitant nodding around the room.

"Good, now lets get back to sleep."

And once again, Neville, a bit unwillingly, took charge and started directing people to help each other settle back down for the night.

* * *

Teacher – How?

Professor Neville Longbottom stared in disbelief at the scene in front of him.

Why had he accepted the teaching position?

A job that requires he is in charge all the time?

He still had no clue.

Looking at the disaster that was the green house, he was beginning to re-consider.

"What happened?" He asked the guilty looking 2nd years.

None of them said anything, they just looked at their shoes but Neville could see more than one of them still grinning.

"What happened?" He repeated, sharper this time.

He had stepped out for a moment to place a plant outside. When he returned there was dirt everywhere, on the ground, on top of other plants, on the students. Everywhere except in the pots they were supposed to be putting it in.

The grins faded as they realized how upset he was.

Neville stared at all of them, "We never had any problems last year. What happened?"

Still though, nobody answered him.

Neville sighed dejectedly. "Very well then. You can all write an extra five inches on your essays I assigned earlier."

The students looked at each other in dismay.

"I thought you were the cool professor Sir." One of them spoke up.

"And I thought this class knew how to follow directions Mr. Smith." Neville paused and looked at the clock. "You all better be off to your next class."

All the students quickly filed out.

As the door swung shut behind the last student, Neville sunk into his chair.

Sometimes, being in charge was hard.

* * *

Teacher – How

How did he always end up in these situations?

"Mr. Potter, what is it you think you're doing?"

James Potter froze with his wand halfway raised and looked sheepishly over his shoulder.

"Hey Professor, uh – nothing. Just stretching."

Neville raised an eyebrow. "I went to school with your parents Mr. Potter, try again."

James opened his mouth to reply as a group of 3rd year Slytherins came running out of the room they were standing beside, all with bright red hair.

James started to shuffle away but Neville caught his eyes again before he had a chance.

"Detention Mr. Potter. Please be at my office after dinner."

James sighed, "Yes Sir."

"Get to class James."

"Yes Sir."

James sprinted down the hall and Neville stared after him.

He was pretty sure he hated giving detention almost as much as the kids hated receiving it, but yet it was necessary. He turned back to the group of Slytherins to see what he could do.

Sometimes being in charge was exhausting.

* * *

Because

Yet at the end of the day Neville knew why and how he always ended up in crazy situations. Because he wanted to help. Its why he argued with the sorting hat. He wanted to help people – shouldn't he be in Hufflepuff? But of course, the hat had been right. What 11 year old Neville had not understood was that the desire to help meant much less if you didn't have the courage to stand up and do it when no one else would.

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**AN: Hope you liked it :)**


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